"These guys really have too much free time."

Alliance Building, Manager's Office.

Chu Guang, sitting at his desk, took a break to browse the Forum and happened to see the player's lively post, gradually showing the expression of an elderly man surprised by what's on his mobile phone in the subway.

Forget about X-16.

What's with Nicole?!

Be decent!

"Indeed."

Perched on the pen holder, Xiao Qi nodded earnestly, saying with conviction, "It's definitely because the task rewards are too high, they must bring down the task's profitability!"

"When I say these guys, I'm including you too. You're having too much free time being silly with them."

Chu Guang commented snidely, poking the little one's head with his forefinger.

"Whoa?!"

Getting a sudden flick, Xiao Qi let out a short cry and fell into the pen holder awkwardly, only to pitifully poke its head out after a long while.

No doubt, that pitiful expression was a pretense.

Having spent so much time with this artificial idiot, Chu Guang was already familiar with its nature.

Back when it was just a wastepaper basket, it was already quite adept at pretending to be pitiful and playing dumb...

The Forum discussions continued.

Soon, players opened a new voting thread, and the topic of discussion had shifted from Brother Guang's CP to the Dog plan's XP, with each option being more ridiculous than the last, perhaps inspired by the Lagrange Point Space Station.

Chu Guang looked at the voting options, pondering whether he should keep some blood pressure medicine in his drawer.

But soon he changed his mind, thinking that since the discussion was about the Dog plan, what did it have to do with him as the Manager?

Suddenly enlightened, Chu Guang instantly felt reassured and even used the Dog plan's account to like the only kind-hearted comment from Crow, who spoke up for him in the post—

Crow: "Isn't it too much to tease Ah Guang like this? I think Ah Guang is actually quite nice, aside from being occasionally a bit cunning. 0.0"

Soon, a group of instigators noticed this like, and the style of the entire post reversed in an instant.

Tail: "!!!"

WC real Mosquito: "Tail exclaimed good fellow!"

Night Ten: "Case solved!! Brother Guang likes the big ones! (sly grin)"

Makabazi: "Insider information!!! This is insider trading!!! (voice breaking)"

Crow: "???"

The focus of criticism quickly shifted from the Dog plan to Crow.

And a certain "mastermind" hiding in the shadows contentedly shut down the holographic screen, casually placing the pen from the holographic computer back in the pen holder.

Xiao Qi remained on the edge of the pen holder, pitifully murmuring.

"Master... so you like bigger ones, right?"

Chu Guang smiled faintly.

"I don't know, maybe? I think I might have said that before, but honestly, I've never really thought about it seriously."

There were too many things demanding his attention, inevitably neglecting some areas.

Like his own life.

But now that the Wasteland Era was over, he'd have plenty of time for himself in the future.

No need to rush.

Incidentally, not long before, when Xiao Qi took over the Lagrange Point Space Station, the shelter system, which had gone unseen for a long time, suddenly flashed before him again and handed him the key to Floor B5 of the shelter.

It seemed the First Generation Manager had long foreseen the real threat.

Of course.

Maybe that guy actually didn't know about the celestial beings but just felt that since even the Lagrange Point Space Station was reclaimed, the Wasteland Era should end, thus making the Lagrange Space Station's permission the final condition for unlocking the last key.

According to the shelter system, that place was the true Manager's Office of Shelter No. 404.

All this time, Chu Guang had been working in the browsing room on Floor B4 and the office in the Alliance Building, and now he could finally move into the office truly belonging to him.

Of course, where to work was a minor issue; what truly caught his interest was another piece of information revealed by the shelter system—

It was said to be the last place visited by the First Generation Manager before disappearing.

It's quite possible that the Administrator's Log belonging to the First Generation Manager of Shelter No. 404 could be found there!

However, Chu Guang wasn't in a rush to immediately race back to the shelter to unlock the door.

After all, he already had the key, and Floor B5 wasn't going anywhere, so he wasn't in a hurry.

Not to mention he still had his work to deal with and a long-lost acquaintance to meet later.

As for the secrets of Floor B5, they could wait until he finished work...

…

Alliance Building, in a meeting room near Conference Room No. 1, a pair of unfamiliar guests walked in surrounded by a group of guards.

One of the guests was named Zhuang Lan, previously a top agent of the Enlightenment Society, and now the founder and leader of the Watcher Organization as well as the gravedigger of the Enlightenment Society.

At this moment, she had shed the guise of Marik and reverted to her original appearance.

Chu Guang remembered the first time he met her; she was brought in as a prisoner by Night Ten, so scared she didn't even dare meet his gaze.

As for her current self, she seemed like a completely different person, much more confident, standing straighter.

Not only that.

The fear once written in her eyes had now transformed into genuine respect.

Interestingly, the person standing next to her was quite the opposite.

Once speaking eloquently under the guise of Yi Hai, now he looked like a hollowed-out maggot, his empty eyes filled with panic, his shoulders trembling as if he might wet himself at any moment.

The celestial beings were dead.

The Enlightenment Society was gone.

He no longer had an organization to rely on, nor a clone's body to use as a scapegoat.

Dragged onto the stage, he didn't have a trace of a leader's demeanor, unable to speak without a script, not even as well as an ordinary person.

Not wanting to look at him any further, Chu Guang just glanced at his face before turning to the person standing beside him, speaking in a gentle tone.

"You've arrived."

Zhuang Lan slightly nodded, her respectful tone carrying a hint of devotion and sincerity.

"I've come to fulfill that bet from many years ago... If the disaster at Shelter No. 68 had no trace of the Enlightenment Society, then I'm free. If the clue in the Administrator's Log matched your guess, then you won."

Chu Guang smiled lightly, jokingly saying.

"Looks like I won."

Truth be told.

He was quite surprised.

At the time, making this move was simply a casual placement of a spare piece, yet he hadn't expected that this spare piece would ultimately checkmate the Enlightenment Society.

She not only found Shelter No. 68 and uncovered the truth about that accident years ago, but also adopted the Alliance's methods to unite other brainwashed victims and establish the Watcher Organization.

Unity.

It is the weapon most feared by all oppressors.

Whether they are devils on earth or ghosts in the sky, they dare not gaze directly at the light emanating from this weapon.

"Yes," Zhuang Lan said respectfully, "According to the wager, I have returned with the freedom you lent me... From now on, my freedom is yours. I am willing to become a blade in your darkness, ready to serve you."

Chu Guang saw the shadow of Lu Bei in her and believed she spoke these words not for flattery or seeking a political position.

She was speaking from the heart.

However, he did not wish for her to do so.

That long, dark night was over, and he no longer needed others to follow the torch in his hand.

Including Lu Bei, who had always followed him.

He hoped they would become their own light and continue moving forward along the path they believed in.

From now on, they will all be torches.

"You misunderstood. My prize is the Administrator's Log of Shelter No. 68, not your freedom. You have already fulfilled the wager, although you might not remember."

Seeing the bewildered Zhuang Lan lift her head, Chu Guang continued in a casual tone.

"As for your freedom, it has been yours since you broke free from the Enlightenment Society's brainwashing. You don't need to give it to anyone, nor do you need to give it to me."

"But... I don't know what to do with it."

Zhuang Lan's expression suddenly became a bit uneasy, and in those originally determined eyes, rare signs of hesitation appeared, as she muttered under her breath.

"I established the Watcher primarily to deal with the Enlightenment Society, but now the Enlightenment Society is finished..."

"Then just find a new goal, such as... completing the unfinished tasks of Shelter No. 68 and other shelters? Since you have already defeated the Enlightenment Society, why not try the path opposite to theirs and see if what they claimed was truly impassable."

"After all, the Enlightenment Society didn't fall from the sky; it was born from a specific soil. Just defeating it is not enough. If we don't simultaneously change that soil that breeds malice, we will inevitably face it again sooner or later, perhaps many times over."

Watching those eyes gradually brighten, Chu Guang continued in a gentle voice.

"Of course, rather than asking my opinion, you should actually talk with your companions. Go back and find them; they're the ones who need you more than I do."

With those words.

He believed the Zhuang Lan standing before him would surely understand the meaning behind his words.

After all, she had walked here on her own.

And just as Chu Guang had anticipated, the determination in those eyes no longer held any confusion.

She never needed an omnipotent manager; her freedom always belonged to herself.

From now on, she wouldn't need to wait for anyone to arrive.

She herself is the one she had been waiting for.

"Thank you..."

Zhuang Lan clasped her fists gratefully, gave one last respectful glance at the manager she admired, and then turned to leave.

The shadow hiding behind her tried to slip away, but was restrained by the guard at the door, who pressed his shoulder to stop him.

The hand on his shoulder felt like an iron clamp, immovable no matter how much strength he used.

The face, ashen and desolate, suddenly etched with despair, like a freshly painted white wall.

"...You have won, why make things difficult for me? I have nothing left now, I'm not a threat to you at all..."

Turning to look at Chu Guang, Gui Xu's eyes were filled with pleading, almost ready to kneel on the spot.

The disgraceful sight was even worse than President Charles and far worse than Teil.

Regardless of his tactics or cunning, this guy was far inferior to those ambitious wasteland wanderers.

Chu Guang disliked those ambitious types and disdained deceitfulness.

Yet he couldn't help but be curious, for what made this guy so confident that his bloodline was purer than others in the wasteland, more deserving of equality?

Just because he was born in a shelter?

While the wasteland's survivors emerged from stones?

Looking down at that face, eager to bury itself, Chu Guang spoke in a calm tone.

"Back when you hid in Yi Hai's corpse, you spoke at length with me, and even said... I could call you Gui Xu, or Zero."

"Now that we're face to face and I'm sitting before you, how come you've lost your words?"

The voice wasn't loud, yet to Gui Xu, it sounded like a clap of thunder.

His knees trembled uncontrollably and eventually gave way under fear, collapsing with a "thud" to the ground.

"I... I deserve to die, I didn't know you knew those people..."

"The blood on your hands isn't limited to the crew of the Pioneer."

Chu Guang took out a thumb-sized hard drive from his pocket.

It was given to him by Zhuang Lan, and quite some time ago.

"Do you know what this is?"

Holding the thumb-sized hard drive, Chu Guang waved it in front of Gui Xu's despairing gaze, then placed it on the table beside him.

"This is the Administrator's Log of Shelter No. 68, along with testimonies from some survivors."

"Based on these clues, we can practically reconstruct the conspiracy behind the fall of Shelter No. 68... You bribed the Looter, had them pose as refugees to deceive the residents of Shelter No. 68 into sympathy, and while they lowered their guard, pillaged the entire shelter. As for yourself, you descended as a savior, recruiting the surviving refugees as followers, and spreading your doomsday theories."

"It's not just the Pioneer; the crimes you've committed can only be described as countless. The Wasteland Era was never the fault of the Waste Land Wanderer but was the price of the Prosperity Epoch. Yet, in prolonging this endless night, you indeed 'made significant contributions.'

Gui Xu was too overwhelmed to pay attention to the crimes Chu Guang listed.

Resilient as he was, he could only quiver with fear, throwing his head to the ground, hoping to gain Chu Guang's sympathy through shared shelter residents, to spare his life.

Little did he know, the more he acted this way, the more disdainful eyes would look upon him.

Facing inevitable demise, he still didn't understand his true crimes.

Unwilling to watch this spineless wretch anymore, Chu Guang waved to the Guard standing at the door.

"Take him away."

Swathed in the exoskeleton, the Guard stepped into the room with murderous intent, effortlessly lifting the man kneeling on the ground like a chick, dragging him, wailing and begging, out the door.

"No! I beg you, give me a chance!"

"Black Box!!! I know the location of some Black Boxes!! As long as you spare me, I'll tell you everything!"

"Please—"

Chu Guang didn't give him another look.

He would face judgment by the Sticky Community United Court and be hanged on the eve of the new era.

That is without a doubt.

Nobody would forgive him.

Even the ideal-filled Ideal City would never hesitate over whether to spare this chief culprit's life...

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